TV Premiere Week, Part I

We’re halfway through the first week of the new season of shows, and here’s what I’m watching;

Parenthood: The Bravermans return (how I love them) and it’s like they never left. The possibility of Crosby and Adam going into business together is too good to pass up. While I love Alex and Haddie, I knew having an older, sober boyfriend would put a damper on her fun. However, I hoped she would be a touch more mature than she proved to be in this episode. (And what’s with the hair?) My favorite moment, and it's moments like these that make this show so great, was when Camille reminded Sarah of Camille’s own 40th birthday party and Sarah's absence. Ah, parents… And then you become your parents… and the cycle continues. Love. (And where the heck was this show at the Emmys?! Lauren Graham deserves some Emmy love... Long overdue.)

Up All Night: I have mixed feelings. I enjoy the chemistry between Christina Applegate and Will Arnett. I like that they actually talk to each other and seem to want to do this parenthood thing as a team. The funniest moments were between the two of them. (“Are we dead?”) I can’t yet get onboard with Maya Rudolph’s character and the whole work environment. It just wasn’t funny. But, I’m still holding out hope for tonight's episode.

Free Agents: I didn’t have much interest in this show, but my husband wanted to DVR it. I half-watched it and wasn’t that entertained. The office environment just seems weird, Hank Azaria was annoying and I didn’t care about the characters.

HIMYM: Oh, I love this show. It so perfectly can flashback and forward and back further and forward just a bit, and you’re never confused. It’s so endearing. The season premiere was awesome in just this way. All characters are true to form: Marshall and Lily completely in love (and is that a little gray at Marshall’s temples?), Robin tough on the outside and soft on the inside, Ted is back to wanting to find true love, and Barney is the perfect mix of a womanizer with a sweet-soft spot in the center. And the possible return of Ashley Williams? A great, great surprise.

Two and a Half Men: We used to watch this show, but then it just got too raunchy and annoying for me. Only out of complete curiosity, I watched the first 15 minutes of the season premiere. The funeral, with all the jilted lovers was clever, as were the special guest stars (Dharma and Greg don’t look so happy anymore!) looking at the house that is now for sale – I just wish they’d thrown in maybe two more because that segment wasn’t long enough. Ashton Kutcher, though? Seriously, it’s like he’s a glimpse at what Jake will be like in the future: Stupid and whiny. Though, Jake would never have tons of money or be good with the ladies. It wasn’t even worth coming back to after the commercial break.

Glee: Like I said in an earlier post, Glee was losing it a little bit last year. The characters were becoming caricatures of themselves, and not nice ones either. The third season premier gave me a little hope. People seemed back to normal and things weren’t so serious. The songs were just OK for me in last night’s episode, but Sue was definitely back to her old self, which is great. I worry that with Blaine now being part of New Directions we won’t get as many Blaine solos (and I’m not quite onboard with the bow ties), but more Blaine can’t be bad, not at all.

New Girl: Oh, Zooey. She’s just so freakin’ adorable (as everyone thinks according to the New York Magazine feature), which makes this show very easy to like. While not very original in premise (a group of pretty young people sharing lives in a beautiful apartment), I really don’t think I can get tired of watching her solve her problems every week. (I wish Max Greenfield’s character wasn’t so d-bag-like because it’s bringing down my loving memories of his Veronica Mars character.)

Raising Hope: Best new show of 2010 and last night’s episode was a perfect welcome back. It’s just the right amount of quirky and ridiculous mixed with great emotion from a family who is always there for one another. I love it.

I’m already overwhelmed with the number of shows to watch. There were too many already, and throw in some new ones - plus Mad Men, Friday Night Lights and Breaking Bad on Netflix! - and I just don’t have the time. I’ve already made the decision that I'll have to skip Prime Suspect (boo).